Older persons are becoming an increasingly larger proportion of drivers
than in the past.1 Although drivers older than
60 years have the lowest crash rates by age for licensed drivers,2 many impairments to driving are age related. Driving
is a complex activity requiring a high level of motor and sensory integrity.
Thus, deficits in mobility, reaction time, hearing, vision, and mentation
are likely to influence driving ability, and these are, in general, concomitants
of aging. It is likely that older drivers restrict the actual number of miles
they drive and the conditions in which they drive, in part related to these
relative disabilities. For example, older adults who reported arthritis and
cardiovascular disease were more likely to cease night driving 5 years later.3